1. Lucky snuff
An important Saxon gold and hardstone snuff-box. By Johann-Christian Neuber (1736-1808), Dresden, Circa 1770. Estimate: £80,000-120,000. This piece is offered in Centuries of Style: Silver, European Ceramics, Portrait Miniatures and Gold Boxes, 1-2 December at Christie’s in London
In Germany, chimney sweeps are traditionally believed to bring good luck: brides are thought to have a particularly happy marriage if they are kissed by a sweep on the day of their wedding, and shaking the hand of any sweep you meet is considered lucky (though modern chimney sweeps may be in increasingly short supply).
Chimney sweep-emblazoned items remain popular gifts at New Year. Measuring just 40mm in diameter, this ladies-sized snuffbox features a chimney sweep in traditional 18th century dress, complete with ladder and brush. ‘This box is a really charming and, because of its small size, very rare,’ comments Christie’s specialist David McLachlan.
2. Snuff with a soundtrack
A Swiss enamelled gold musical snuff-box. Geneva, circa 1800. Estimate: £6,000-8,000. This piece is offered in Centuries of Style: Silver, European Ceramics, Portrait Miniatures and Gold Boxes, 1-2 December at Christie’s in London
‘A musical snuff-box would have sat at a lady’s dressing table, or played to amuse one’s guests when ordering snuff,’ explains David McLachlan. For its makers, it also served as a show of skill: ‘The idea was to show the craftsmanship of both the goldsmith and maker of musical movements — the practice having flourished in Geneva in the late 18th and 19th centuries.’
3. ‘My snuff’s in the pug’
A German gold-mounted hardstone snuff-box. Probably Dresden, circa 1850. Estimate: £5,000-7,000. . This piece is offered in Centuries of Style: Silver, European Ceramics, Portrait Miniatures and Gold Boxes, 1-2 December at Christie’s in London
‘Made in Dresden, this snuff box celebrates both the abundance of the semi-precious amethystine quartz stone that the region was famous for, and the pug dog — an extremely fashionable breed in Saxony in the late 18th and early 19th century,’ says McLachlan. ‘The eyes of this pug are made from glass, or ‘paste’ eyes — the box itself opening at the neck.’
4. A lion with a diamond mane
A Swiss jewelled enamelled gold snuff-box. By Sené & Neiser, Geneva, circa 1810. Estimate: £40,000-60,000. This piece is offered in Centuries of Style: Silver, European Ceramics, Portrait Miniatures and Gold Boxes, 1-2 December at Christie’s in London
This box features a resting lion painted in enamel, its mane set with diamonds; the tail and outer border lined with a string of pearls. The lid lifts to reveal a cascading waterfall in a mountainous landscape, the sky behind lit red by a lightning bolt, as a violent storm rages. ‘This is just an amazing box, combining the imagination and skills of the goldsmith with those of the enameller and jeweller,’ comments McLachlan.
5. A love token
A Swiss parcel-enamelled gold snuff-box set with a portrait miniature. Maker’s mark A D, Geneva, circa 1815, the miniature by Domenico Bossi (1765-1853). Estimate: £15,000-20,000. . This piece is offered in Centuries of Style: Silver, European Ceramics, Portrait Miniatures and Gold Boxes, 1-2 December at Christie’s in London
Set with a generous helping of old-cut diamonds, this golden snuff-box is believed to represent Prince Constantin Lubomirski, a Polish colonel who served in the Russian army. ‘Boxes with portraits were usually given as presentation gifts, to commemorate a specific event, or as a diplomatic gift,’ says McLachlan. ‘Simpler examples may have been given as love tokens — with the portraits able to be interchanged as required!’
6. Snuff o’clock
A Swiss enamelled gold snuff-box set with a watch compartment. Geneva, circa 1810. Estimate: £20,000-30,000. . This piece is offered in Centuries of Style: Silver, European Ceramics, Portrait Miniatures and Gold Boxes, 1-2 December at Christie’s in London
Made around 1810, this enameled gold snuff-box features two hinged compartments, the smaller opening to reveal a white enamel watch dial and regulator — perfect if you like to take your snuff in a timely manner. ‘Beautifully decorated, this box is yet another example of all of the skills available in Geneva in the 1800s,’ McLachlan comments. ‘Many of these brightly coloured objects containing watches were made specifically for export, to cater to the tastes of the Far East and China.’
7. A gentleman’s box
A Russian vari-colour gold snuff-box set with an enamel plaque. By Johann Wilhelm Keibel (Fl. 1788-1862), maker’s mark only, St Petersburg, circa 1830/1840. Estimate: £6,000-8,000. This piece is offered in Centuries of Style: Silver, European Ceramics, Portrait Miniatures and Gold Boxes, 1-2 December at Christie’s in London
‘In the 19th century, enamellers worked alongside goldsmiths, producing designs made specifically to be set into the covers of snuff-boxes,’ says McLachlan. ‘Many scenes were copied or adapted from known paintings or the classics; though we’re unfortunately unable to positively identify this one, it’s clearly a little racy, and this is very much a gentleman’s box.’
8. The nobility’s grown sniffy
A George II gold and hardstone snuff-box. London, circa 1740. Estimate: £4,000-6,000. This piece is offered in Centuries of Style: Silver, European Ceramics, Portrait Miniatures and Gold Boxes, 1-2 December at Christie’s in London
‘When Charles II returned from France to take the English throne in 1660, he brought an enthusiastic snuff habit back with him,’ explains McLachlan. It was not until William and Mary came to the throne in 1689, however, that snuff really took off. Keen snuff fans, the monarchs had the English nobility following suit by the end of the century.’
‘Prepared by hand, snuff remained prohibitively expensive for most consumers,’ McLachlan adds. ‘In the 18th and 19th centuries, it was reserved for gentlemen, ladies, and self-respecting dandies. For the nobility, the gentry and those who aspired to their ranks, it was the tobacco of choice; boxes became increasingly elaborate, with tobacco smoking relegated to lower classes and the lesser sort of coffee house.’ This box is made in bloodstone, a red-flecked mineral fashionable in the 18th century. The stone hails from India, and was imported into England by the East India Company.’
9. An elaborate way to hide the smell
A Swiss jewelled enamelled gold vinaigrette. Estimate: £30,000-50,000. . This piece is offered in Centuries of Style: Silver, European Ceramics, Portrait Miniatures and Gold Boxes, 1-2 December at Christie’s in London
For those who prefer scent to snuff, this vinaigrette offers a jazzy solution, featuring a container for vinegar or smelling salts, diffused via a perforated lid. Vinaigrettes such as these shot to popularity in the Victorian era, as a means for women to combat the aroma from waste products common in city streets.
Formed as a dragon’s head, this piece features elaborate scales, a mouth with hinged jaw and ominously bared teeth — the ensemble topped off with orange enamel eyes. ‘The enamelling is extraordinarily detailed,’ comments McLachlan. ‘The maker would need to have fired each element at a slightly lower temperature than before, to prevent all of the colours melting and running together.’
10. A snuff box for romantics
A Swiss jewelled enamelled and vari-colour gold three compartment automaton snuffbox and time piece. Estimate: £150,000-200,000. This piece is offered in Centuries of Style: Silver, European Ceramics, Portrait Miniatures and Gold Boxes, 1-2 December at Christie’s in London
Die-hard romantics might consider this oval-shaped snuffbox, which comes decorated with an infatuated Romeo and Juliet — the blushing couple framed by a pearl border. To the left, a compartment opens to reveal a mechanical model of a couple who, in an impressive display of balance, stand on a seesaw, flanking a cherub playing a lyre. To the right, a second compartment hides a watch that runs for 30 hours once wound. A musical movement allows the user to meditate upon romantic scenes, sniff snuff and tell the time to a choice of two soundtracks.
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